Joe Barton: “as we debate this new SCHIP bill, I think it is important to figure out what we know about the bill and the undemocratic…”

“as we debate this new SCHIP bill, I think it is important to figure out what we know about the bill and the undemocratic methods that produced it. First, we know that few, if any, Members of Congress actually have read the bill. Despite the promises made by Majority Leader Hoyer on Friday that we would get at least 48 hours to review the bill, the new, 285 page SCHIP bill only turned up yesterday at 11:20. The 48 hours that Majority Leader Hoyer promised somehow shrank to less than 24 hours. The Rules Committee met without an official score from the Congressional Budget Office. I will stipulate that Members may not always read the legislation they vote on, but most of us at least read the summaries and analyses that our staff members prepare. And every one of us has a right to the time required to know what these bills contain. That's what the regular legislative process is all about--listening, thinking, proposing, thinking some more, amending and debating. Implicit in normal process is the notion that all useful ideas may not reside exclusively in the minds of the Speaker's assistants. And all this careful listening and critical thinking by House Members is supposed to happen before we vote. Democrats seem to think that's got it backwards. They want to vote first and think later. It's all about bills written in private, delivered at night, and ramrodded through here with the blink of an eye.”